Shifting for Romance
by Crafton
Summary: Vampires do not exist.  But were animals sure do.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I know, many of you are probably thinking ah, are you forgetting your other story, the answer is no. I am now getting back to fan/fic and plan to continue. Believe it or not, it's been so long I have to read it myself, to remember where I left off.

This first chapter is going to seem kind of weird. I needed away to set this up and chose to do it entirely inside of Charlie's head think of him as our narrator in this first chapter.

Let me know if what you guys think, is this a waste of valuable disk space or would you like me to continue.

As always this is for entertainment only, S/M owns it all I'm just borrowing some places and names.

1993:

CHARLIE'S POV:

I thought I had been so careful. I thought I had it all planned out. My plan was simple, I was simply going to tell Renee that my family had a genetic disease, so that if we had children, we would simply have to adopt.

You see the truth of the matter is my family does have genetic anomaly, an anomaly of the werebear kind. I fortunately was spared. Whether it was a matter of a generational skip or the genetic code died out I cannot be sure. I hope and pray it has died out as Renee just informed me that she is pregnant.

We are getting married in two weeks, how can I not tell her of this possibility. I have to tell her, but how. Hey honey or son/daughter might give Goldilocks a run for her money, I hardly think so. And how am I to make her believe me.

Currently I live with the Black family which consists of my brother Billy and his father Ephraim, all though everyone thinks that Ephraim is our brother as well. You may wonder why people would think this, well its simple really the black's are werewolves and as with all weres, they stop aging around the age of twenty, some make it to the age of twenty-five before they enter immortality.

Perhaps this is the answer to my quandary, I may not be able to produce a werebear, but I could have one of them transform in front of her to prove my claim. I only hope that she can accept this and thus accept me. Things would be so much easier if any of my family had survived the great shifter war. That war took so much away from me and so many others; many orphans were created that day, as well as many other families completely died out.

PRESENT DAY:

CHARLIES POV:

Well, telling Renee the truth wasn't the smartest of move of my live but still was not nearly as stupid as having Ephraim shift right in front of her. All that came of it was her passing out and then, getting the heck out of dodge. To say she wasn't impressed was an understatement I suppose I should feel blessed that she even lets me see my beautiful daughter a few weeks during the summer each year, although it's a supervised visit. As I've already eluded yes it was a girl, the love of my life my Bella.

I'm sure everyone's wondering did she get the gene or not. The answer to that could be answered by that fact that I am currently driving 80 miles an hour from Washington to Arizona. Renee called, this morning in a panic; Bella is showing the classic symptoms. You might be wondering how would Renee even know? Well I told her. While I may not have any of my bear family left, to turn to, my father was smart enough to keep a journal which outlined much of what I needed to know. You are probably thinking why not just ask the Black's, well you see I'll let you in on a little secret, every shifter animal is different.

This is a disaster of epic proportions. I have always respected Renee's wishes and have never even hinted anything supernatural exists in this world. Just like Renee I buried my head in the sand and now my little girl is completely unprepared for the change that is about to take place in her life. Renee's only concern is getting her the "hell" out of her house, it's like she has completely disowned her, just like she did me eighteen years ago. And Bella is completely in the dark to this, she simply thinks she has a bug. What she is a potential ticking time bomb, if she get's to upset in the wrong place at the wrong time. This would include an airplane which is why I am trying to get down there as fast as I can go without getting arrested. Wouldn't that be hilarious I could see the head line now. "Chief Swan arrested for insane speeding" I can think of a few residents of Forks who would love to see that.


	2. Chapter 2

Bella POV:

Finally graduation is over with you would think I would be happy. This last week has really sucked, I have been feverish and nauseous. The strange thing is, I am unable to recall a day where I have ever been sick before, not even the sniffles.

One thing I am overjoyed over is I am finally going to be getting away from my bitch of a mother. I have been accepted to Carnegie Mellon University. As far away as Pittsburgh is from Phoenix I still think it is not far enough, perhaps I should have applied to schools in Europe after all I am still on the same continent as her.

Renee has been acting rather strangely this past week as well. Most mothers are supposed to care for their sick children, not Renee. In fact Renee has been keeping her distance and has been strangely, but welcomingly quiet.

I must really be lost in my thoughts, it has just occurred to me someone is banging on the front door, better go see whose here. I run to the foyer and swing open the door, and cannot repress my surprise.

"Charlie what are you doing here" I asked stunned. "Not I'm not thrilled to see you" I quickly recover.

"Hey kid, I just came to see how my favorite girl is doing" He says while ruffling my hair. "Your mom called and said you have been sick this past week."

I then glance out to the driveway and see his car in the drive. Okay queue confusion time. "Dad, you drove for days because I am feeling a little under the weather?" I'm sure by the look on my face he is aware that I'm having just a little bit of a hard time swallowing this one.

"Well actually, it a little more than that" The way he says this I can tell he is having a tough time with this conversation. "Your mother and I have been talking and well, we think it best that you spend the rest of the summer up in Forks with me, I came to pick you up" He says smiling slightly.

Ok, I've gone from slightly confused to full blown out of body experience. My mother who has never, allowed Charlie any where near me with out her being present is sending me to live with him. What the hell is going on?

"Dad, no offence but mom, has been so overbearing where is comes to me spending any time with you and now she's just fine with me moving in with you?" I ask

"Well your mother had decided that we haven't been able to spend anytime together and she thinks that it is only fair, for us to have some time." He tells me. Now I know he is lying. Renee doesn't know the meaning of the word fair. And I know damn well she would be so selfless, but I'll keep these thoughts to myself.

"Well, if you'll excuse me I have to go pack, I wasn't aware of this, and haven't prepared anything." I tell him as I turn and run up the stairs to start packing.

As I am packing I begin to try to make sense of what is going on. I'd gladly jump at the chance to get away from Renee any way I can, but this is still strange. You'd think I'd blame Charlie for never standing up to Renee, but I've seen her in action and know what she does to men. Renee has away of sucking all the testosterone out of any guy she has dated, as I've witnessed from Charlie over the years. Not to mention I've seen her in action with her new husband Phil, it's disgusting.

It takes me a few hours to pack and I come down stairs to find Charlie in front of the TV engrossed in sports, poor man is probably trying to recover some of his manhood, stolen by that bitch. "I'm packed let me call Renee and let her know we are leaving, I'm sure she'll want to see me off" I tell him.

"Actually Bells, your mother thought it would be easier for guys, if you don't say goodbye" again with the lying Charlie, really.

"Ok let's go" I say as Charlie snatches up my bags for the trip.

We load up the car and head out. As is usual for myself and Charlie we fall into our usual silent treatment. Still feeling under the weather I quickly find myself drifting off to sleep.

Emmett's POV:

Damn it! I thought to myself as I lumbered through the forest in my bear form. I just can't take it anymore, night in and night out having to hear the sounds of three other happy couples in the house, was just too much.

Unfortunately I got the short end of the stick in the were gene pool. Don't get me wrong being a bear is great, it's just that were bears are the rarest form of shifter and there are more males than females., which makes finding a mate for a males, well impossible really. Also unlike other shifters bear shifters are preprogrammed to respond to other bears alone. At least other types of shifters are other to co-habitate with other species of shifter as well as some mixed human relationships.

It's not like I haven't tried to find a mate. When I'm on vacation from the Forks PD, I often travel the country searching. Only once have I even come close to finding a mate some friends of the family alerted me to an unmated female, but another male swooped in, I was so close only a day too late. I'm only 42 which in immortal terms is relatively a short time, but that is 42 years alone.

I wish the rest of my family had survived the shifter wars, but alas as with most bears it just wasn't so. Bears are the most formidable fighters so of course they were used on the front lines, and are now an endangered species. I guess unlike other orphaned shifters of the time I was lucky, Carlisle Cullen and his wife Esme, adopted a group of us orphans.

Well in a few weeks, I will get to go on another mate finding expedition. I think I'll try Montana next. I would be on vacation now if it weren't for Chief Swan having some emergency situation with his daughter. I guess I can't begrudge having my vacation switched after all that man never takes vacation.

Perhaps Montana will be my lucky break.


End file.
